Finding Freedom
by music04goddess
Summary: Bella is married to Jacob Black, but everything is not going great. She meets Edward one rainy day when he wonders into her coffee shop, and they become fast friends. What happens when he starts to discover what is happening to Bella? All human. Rated M for sexual content and domestic abuse. Discontinued by myself. Continued by CCullen1978.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Twilight!**

 **So I already have two stories started, and I am not sure what the length of those will be. That means that this story might be the one that isn't updated quite as frequently as the others. I've been bouncing this one around in my head for a few days though, so I decided to just go ahead and get something posted. So please review and let me know what you think. If this one gets a lot of good feedback, I might post more really soon.**

 **Please be aware that this story is rated M. It is going to contain some sexual scenes in later chapters, and there is also some domestic abuse. If that is something that you are not able to read then please leave this story right now. It is not going to be extremely graphic, but I do not want anyone to be uncomfortable reading.**

"Bye, Bella. Have a good evening!"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Alice," I smiled as I watched her leave. It's nice to have some quiet, alone time before I go home after work. I like to just sit here for a few minutes after everyone has left and just think.

My name is Isabella Black, but everyone calls me Bella. I'm 25, and I've worked at the same place since I was 17. It is a simple little coffee shop not far from home, so I usually just walk to work every day to save on gas. Jacob, my husband, doesn't like it when I waste gas. I understand that because the prices have gone up, and it is a good idea to be saving money for more important things. I started off at the coffee shop as a barista, but now I am a store manager. Alice, the other manager here, cannot understand why I still like to serve coffee. Sometimes I don't even know the answer to that; I guess it is just nice to meet new people.

I married Jake not long after I turned 22, he was 21. We had dated for most of high school, and nobody was shocked when the news of our engagement got around. Rosalie was the only one that didn't approve of our marriage; she thought I could do better. Rose is my best friend and has been in my life since we were babies. She and Jake have never gotten along, but she was right there to help me plan the whole wedding.

The bell above the door chimed, alerting me to someone coming in. "I'm sorry, we are closed for the day."

"Oh, I apologize. I didn't even think to see if you had closed. I was just looking for shelter from the rain," the man said. He was an attractive man, and I'm sure that he had ladies falling over for his attention.

"Oh my, I didn't even notice the rain! I've been lost in thought. Please come in and take a seat. The least I can do is let you wait out the storm here, at least until it dies down a little. Would you like a cup of coffee?" I asked. I couldn't just send someone out into the rain when he didn't even have an umbrella. He must not be from around here, it rains all the time in Forks.

"Yeah, thank you. My name is Edward, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Edward. I'm Bella. Are you from out of town?" I asked as I went behind the counter to get a cup of coffee.

"I actually just moved here. I'm the new doctor at the hospital," Edward told me as I set the coffee down in front of him.

"Well welcome to Forks. For future reference, you might want to keep an umbrella on you at all times. It rains more than anything around here," I informed him with a small laugh.

Edward chuckled as he sipped on the coffee, "Thanks for letting me know. I just arrived today and had planned on taking a look around, but I got caught in the rain storm."

Edward and I talked for a little while longer about different things to do around Forks, but I explained that you really have to go to either Seattle or Port Angeles to do much of anything. Before long, I looked up and noticed that the rain had stopped.

"Well, looks like we are safe to go now. I really do need to be getting home. My husband will be wanting me to have dinner finished in a couple hours. It was really nice to meet you. I hope you come back again sometime," I told Edward as I took his cup into the kitchen.

"It was very nice to meet you as well, Bella. I hope your husband won't be too upset that I kept you from getting home sooner," Edward joked as we walked out of the coffee shop together.

 _I hope so too, Edward…_

XxXxX

I ran most of the way home to make up for the time that I was in the coffee shop. Hopefully Jacob will be asleep anyway and won't notice that I'm 30 minutes later than normal. I slowly opened the front door and snuck into the kitchen. When I walked around the corner, Jacob was standing there waiting for me.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jacob yelled.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I thought that it would be sunny today, so I walked to work. You know, to save on gas like you wanted me to. Right before I left, it started pouring, so I stayed a little longer than normal to wait out the rain," I told Jacob quietly as I pleaded with him.

"You better have food ready in one hour. And don't be late again!" Jacob walked up to me and grabbed my face roughly as he looked into my eyes. "And don't you dare be lying to me."

"I'm not lying, honey. And I'll have the food ready, I promise," I whispered.

Jake let go of me and got a beer before going back into the living room. I held onto the counter and calmed my breathing before I teared up. I gently touched my jaw and knew that it would be bruised in the morning. I began fixing dinner while Jake drank his beer in the living room.

He hasn't always been this way. Jacob used to be sweet and caring. He was always a little on the possessive side, but I know that he loves me. Jake just wants to make sure that I'm safe, so he keeps tabs on me during the day. I have to be home at a certain time unless I run it past him first, but even then, he forgets sometimes. And when he gets mad, it is my own fault anyway.

Jacob and I spent the rest of the night like we do every other night. We ate dinner and then I cleaned up the kitchen while he had another beer in the living room. He liked what I fixed tonight, so that's good. Sometimes I cook the wrong then, and then I also have to clean up the broken beer bottle that he threw at my head. He always misses, or I'm faster than he is. I don't know which one it is anymore. After that, we sit in the living room and watch TV until Jake falls asleep. That is when I go up to the bedroom and lay down.

I rarely sleep anymore because I never know if Jake will sleep all night or not. If Jacob does wake up during the night, he will come upstairs to bed with me. That means that he either wants sex or is angry about something. Either way, it isn't good for me those nights. At least one good thing about Jacob is that he doesn't cheat, so I will never need to worry about him being with another woman. I need to be more grateful for things like that instead of focusing on the bad things, like the bruise I will have in the morning.

This is my life now. I need to learn to be happy with it.

 **Please review and let me know what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Twilight.**

 **I'm glad that people are enjoying this one and wanting some more of it. Please continue to review, and go check out my other two stories (For the Love of a Memory and Love Happens). Enjoy.**

Luckily, Jacob never came to bed during the night. That meant that I wouldn't have any more bruises except the one that he left from grabbing my jaw so hard. I listened carefully before I got out of bed, but I didn't hear anything in the house. I smiled as I got out of bed. Not hearing noise meant that Jacob had already left for work.

I went to the bathroom, not bothering to look in the mirror before I got in the shower. I don't want to know how badly my jaw is bruised before it is time to put on my makeup. I've gotten good at covering up the bruises. As long as nobody touches my jaw today, which I don't know why anyone would, everything will be fine.

I got out of the shower and put on my usual blue jeans and v-neck shirt for work. Alice always wants me to dress better, but I just don't see the point when all I do is serve coffee all day. Plus, Jake would be furious if I came home with expensive clothes like Alice has. I mostly own blue jeans and very modest, slightly baggy shirts. Jake gets jealous easily so he doesn't like it when I wear revealing or tight clothes. I have a few dresses for when I need to dress up, but they aren't anything special.

I went about my morning routine of cleaning the living room and making sure that I had everything I would need for dinner tonight. After I finished cleaning, I sat down in front of the mirror to put on my makeup and sighed. On the right side of my jaw, I had a deep purple bruise that I knew would be very tender to the touch. I bruise easily anyway, so whenever Jacob gets upset, the bruises tend to look worse than they really are. I gently covered it with some makeup, and by the time I was finished, you couldn't even tell that anything was wrong.

I smiled and grabbed my bag to go to work. As far as everyone knows, Jake and I are a very happy couple. I would like to keep it that way.

XxXxX

I laid my head on the table as I sat down for my lunch break. Alice called me to tell me that she's really sick and couldn't come in to work today. And that would have been okay, except two other people called out as well. We were very understaffed and incredibly busy. That meant that I was running around all morning trying to make sure that everyone stayed happy and would come back. The last thing I need is to start losing business.

"Mind if I take a seat?" I heard someone sit down across from me, and I lifted my head to find Edward sitting there.

"Oh, hey. How are you doing today? Do you need anything?" I asked as I sat back in the seat and smiled at him.

"I'm doing good. Much better than yesterday when I was soaking wet. How are you? You look exhausted," Edward said with a concerned look on his face.

I smiled to try and make him believe that I was fine, "We are just a little short staffed today. I'm okay."

"I could lend a hand, if you want? I was a waiter for a little while in college. I'm sure I can manage to not spill coffee on anyone," Edward said as he laughed.

"No, no. I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm sure you're busy saving lives or something."

"I actually don't start at the hospital until tomorrow. I have plenty of free time on my hands. I can just help out for a little while. You don't even have to pay. Consider it a repayment for not taking my money for the coffee last night," Edward said with a smile.

After a little more persuading, I agreed to let Edward help out for a little while. He was actually really good at the job. He was very friendly with all of the customers, but I'm sure it helped with the ladies that he looks good. Many of the women stayed in the shop longer than necessary trying to catch his eye or start up a conversation, but Edward seemed very uninterested.

He walked over to me once the crowd had slowed down to chat for a little bit. "Well the ladies definitely like you," I laughed as I motioned to a table of high school girls that kept batting their eyes at Edward.

"So I've noticed. The women in Forks seem to be very straightforward," Edward said.

"Your girlfriend must hate you having all of that attention," I commented as I filled out some paperwork for the shop.

Edward chuckled as he watched me writing, "I imagine that she would hate it. If I had a girlfriend, that is."

"Oh please. You're telling me that someone with looks like you have, is single?" I joked as I playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Well, we can't all be happily married at 25 Bella," Edward joked back.

My smile faltered for a moment as I responded with a quiet, "Yeah, I guess so."

Of course Edward had to have picked up on that, and tried to ask if everything was okay. I quickly cut him off by saying something about work I had to do in the back.

Edward went to help some customers that just walked in the door, and I escaped to the back room. I pulled out my phone to check my jaw. I had to make sure that the makeup still looked good enough that nobody could tell there was a dark bruise underneath. I got to work sorting through everything in the back, and let my mind wonder off to less complicated things.

XxXxX

I came out of my thoughts from a knock on the door to the backroom. I turned around to find Edward sticking his head in slightly.

"Hey, Bella. Sorry to bother you. Umm I closed up the shop for you out here. I cleaned the floors, counters, and machines too. I hope that's all okay," Edward said as he took a step into the back room.

I jumped up as I check my watch. It was past closing time. "Oh my gosh, Edward, I am so sorry! I completely lost track of time. You didn't have to do all of that. I mean, you don't even work here."

"It's okay, really. I didn't mind. You needed help, so I stayed and did what I could. I told the other worker that she could go home," Edward said as he reassured me.

I smiled and thanked him. As I started to step around him to go home, Edward reached out and gently grabbed my arm. "Hold on, you have something right here on your cheek."

I tried to tear my arm away before he could touch my cheek, but Edward moved faster than I did. The moment his fingers brushed over my cheek, I flinched away and put my hand over my jaw. I felt the tears coming to my eyes from the contact he had unintentionally made with the bruise.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked, concerned about me.

I smiled through the pain and looked up at Edward, "Yeah, I just tripped last night and landed on the corner of our coffee table at home. I've got a little bruise right there. Nothing to worry about."

Edward looked at me curiously, but let the subject drop thankfully. I don't know what I would do if he pushed the subject further. I thanked him again for helping out today, and gave him a check for the money that he made. We said goodbye at the door and turned to walk our separate ways down the street. Luckily it wasn't raining tonight.

XxXxX

The moment I opened the door, I knew it was going to be a bad night. I could smell the alcohol, so I knew that Jacob had been drinking as soon as he got home from work. Something had made him mad.

"That you Bells? Get your ass in here right now!" Jake yelled from the living room. It's never good when he calls me 'Bells'.

I slowly walked in that direction, and as soon as Jacob saw me, he threw the bottle in my direction. I ducked and it hit the wall near my head. I looked toward Jacob with fear in my eyes as he started towards me.

When Jacob got to me, he gripped my hips and pulled me tight against his chest as he looked down at me, "You are such a slut. Looking at the fucking clothes you are wearing."

"I'm sorry, honey. These are the clothes that I always wear to work," I said quietly as I tried to calm him down.

"You just want all the guys, don't you Bells? I'm not enough for your slutty self," Jake yelled in my face.

I looked up at Jacob right before he slapped me hard enough to knock me on the floor. The whole right side of my face was throbbing, but it was worse near my jaw where I still had the bruise from last night.

Jacob wrapped his hand around my throat while he continued yelling about me acting like a slut. Tears began to form in my eyes, as my vision blurred. I clawed as Jacob's hand around my throat, but he used his other hand to push mine away. Everything started going black, and I felt Jacob let go and heard the door slam right before I blacked out.

Maybe he won't come back tonight. Maybe he won't come back at all.

 **Please review and let me know what you think. This story is going to be a little on the darker side for a while, so please just be cautious of that when you're reading. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I'm glad that people are enjoying this story. I hope that you continue to review. I love reading through what everyone is thinking about the chapters. I'm going to start mentioning my favorite review I got from the chapter before, and this time it goes to Arya Lupin with this review "I have a crow bar, that my brother found, I would love to intrude Jacob to said crow bar. Can't wait to see how this story plays out!" I laughed so hard when I got this review, so please continue to let me know what you think! And huge shout out to CCullen1978! You've already given me a huge amount of help, so thank you!**

I slowly opened my eyes and lifted a hand to touch my throat. I winced as I lightly ran my hand across it; my throat probably has a deep bruise already. I rolled over to look at the time and saw that it was 2 AM. I rubbed my eyes, and then realized that I was in my bed, not on the floor. I quietly looked over and found Jacob asleep next to me. I laid still and tried not to hyperventilate. I couldn't handle laying here beside him, but I don't want to wake him up and make him angry.

Jacob moved beside me, and I chanced a glance in his direction. His eyes were open and staring back at me. I felt my heart sink in my chest. Jacob, however, smiled and wrapped his arm around me. He nuzzled his face into my shoulder and sighed. "You know I love you, Bells."

I remained quiet and Jacob placed light kisses along my shoulder. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get upset. You know I never mean it when I say those things. I just can't imagine someone else having you."

"You know that I wouldn't let anyone else have me, Jacob," I whispered quietly as the tears fell down my cheeks. I don't know how to be mad at him when he gets like this. It's like he is back to the Jake I fell in love with.

"I love you Bells. Try and get some sleep. I promise that it won't ever happen again. I'll even make you a nice breakfast in the morning to make up for tonight."

I didn't answer him, and soon I was back asleep.

XxXxX

When I woke up again, it was because my alarm was going off. Jacob was already out of bed, and I remembered him mentioning that he was going to fix breakfast for me this morning. I slowly walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror at my neck. It's no surprise that it was already hurting during the night. I could clearly see each of Jacob's fingers outlined in deep purple across my neck. I knew that makeup would never cover that, so I would be wearing a carefully placed scarf today.

After changing into my usual clothes, I picked out a fluffy black scarf that would easily hide the bruise on my neck. I wrapped it around me, and checked three times in the mirror to make sure that nobody would be able to see what I was hiding underneath.

I walked downstairs and turned the corner into the kitchen, expecting to see the breakfast that Jacob promised me. When I entered the kitchen, there was no Jacob, and no food. I walked throughout the house calling his name, but he wasn't there. He must have already left for work. I shrugged it off and just grabbed an apple to head to work.

When I got to work, I noticed that Alice was already there. Alice never gets here early, so immediately I knew something had to be wrong. I ran into the shop and found Alice with a construction crew.

"Guys, what is going on?" I asked, completely confused.

Alice motioned for the crew to keep working, and she came over to fill me in. "Bella, honey, please don't freak. A pipe blew last night. It was in the kitchen area, so the whole place got flooded. Luckily, I left my cell on the counter and had to come back after you had closed up. I found the water and called plumbing to come fix it. That got fixed and is fine, but the whole kitchen floor is going to have to be replaced. They said that we can't open today, but tomorrow everything will be fine to return to normal."

"I'm glad you came back and found it. One day not being open won't kill us, I guess. If you hadn't come back, who knows when would have been able to reopen the place," I said as Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you didn't freak on me! I know how you hate to close the shop for anything. By the way, what's up with that Edward guy? He showed up bright and early. Said he was going to see if you wanted him to help out today?" Alice asked with a huge smirk.

I bumped shoulders with her and laughed, "He offered to help out yesterday since _someone_ bailed on me!"

"Touché. Well anyway, he's in the back talking to them about the best way to fix the floor. He just redid his flooring and wants to make sure they don't mess up the coffee shop. He knows you're married, right?" Alice quietly asked.

"Alice! Yes he know that I'm married. Can't a girl and a guy just be friends?"

"Yes they can, but he talks about you like he's interested in more than friendship."

I laughed as I posted a sign on the front door to let everyone know that we would be closed today. "You're delusional, Alice."

Alice walked over to grab her purse and gave me a hug goodbye, "Well I'm going to go back home to Jazzy and celebrate my day off," Alice said with a wink.

I laughed and waved goodbye. A minute later, I felt someone's presence close by me. I quickly turned around and found Edward standing there.

"Thanks for coming in. Alice said that you showed up to see if we needed help today," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, I just didn't want you to be short on staff again. I'm sorry about the pipe bursting though."

I smiled and reassured him that it would be okay. We were only closing for one day, after all.

"So what are you going to do with your one day off from work?" Edward asked with a curious smile.

"I don't really know. I might just go down to the park and hang out for a little while. I don't really want to go home right now." I told him with a small smile. The truth is that if Jacob came back home early and found me there, he would be furious with me for not being at work. It wouldn't matter that we couldn't open today.

Edward smiled, "Would you like some company?"

"Sure! That would be great. I can show you around a little too. There isn't much to see at all, but I can show you around what there is, if you want?" I asked with a smile.

Edward agreed and so we walked around the small town of Forks, while I subtly kept us away from where Jacob works. Edward is a funny guy. He definitely seems to like making people smile because he kept making corny jokes all day.

After a little while, we made it to the park and found a nice big tree to sit under. It was actually a nice, sunny day so we didn't have to worry about rain being an issue. Edward and I didn't talk for a little while, but it was comfortable. We just sat near each other and watched everyone else that chose to come to the park today.

"So tell me about you, Bella. Not the coffee shop owner or the wife. I want to know Bella." Edward said as he turned to face me.

I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "There isn't much to tell. I'm kind of a boring person."

"I disagree with that. You aren't boring at all. And everyone has something to tell."

"Okay, well let's see. I've lived here my whole life. I haven't ever been out of the country, or even this part of the country. I have had the same best friend since I was little, her name is Rosalie. Jake was my first real boyfriend, but Rose doesn't like him much. They butt heads. I like to read and listen to music. I don't do much of either anymore. And I used to write all the time. I loved it; just being able to have all of your thoughts down on paper was the best thing ever," I told Edward as I trailed off.

Edward continued to watch me closely as I talked, "So why did you quit writing?"

"I don't know really. Jacob thinks that it is a waste of time, so I just stopped after a while," I smiled and tried to change the subject, "So tell me about Edward."

Edward laughed and leaned back against the tree that we were sitting in front of, "Well, I lived in Los Angeles before coming here. I wanted something different, so I found this nice little place and they needed a new doctor. My brother actually moved here with me, his name is Emmett. He's working at the fitness center as a personal trainer. My dad is a doctor in LA, so I kind of took in his footsteps, but I wanted to go somewhere that wouldn't constantly compare me to him. That's about all there is to tell about me," Edward laughed.

We spent the rest of the day asking silly questions like favorite color and favorite food and biggest pet peeve. After a few hours of talking about nothing, we looked up and noticed that most of the people had already left the park and it was getting dark out. Edward offered to walk me back to the shop, and I agreed. I don't like being out by myself at night.

When we got to the coffee shop, Edward smiled and a friendly hug, "I had a good time today, Bella. Thanks for showing me around."

"That was no problem. Be safe heading back to your place," I told him with a smile.

As we turned to go our separate ways, a strong wind came through and I was too late grabbing for my scarf. It blew to the ground, and of course, Edward turned before I could put it back on.

"Bella! Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" Edward exclaimed, shocked by the bruise on my neck.

I quickly put my scarf on and looked down, "Nothing, Edward. Just let it go. I'm fine."

"You are not fine. Bella, you can tell me what's going on," Edward said softly as he grabbed for my arm.

I jumped back and pulled my arm close to me, "Leave me alone. I said I'm fine!" I yelled as I took off down the street to go back home. _I can't believe I was so stupid to let my scarf blow away. He can't tell anyone. He won't. He's new here and doesn't know anyone to tell. I'm okay. It's all going to be okay._

 **Wonder what Edward will do now that he's seen that bruise…Please review! Let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you guys continue to enjoy! As always, I do not own Twilight. This time, the review came from Cobblet, who was super excited about things falling into place and wanted more chapters. So now, I have the next chapter for you! Please continue to review! This chapter has violence in the beginning. It is short, but please be cautious if this is something that bothers you.**

A few days have passed since my scarf blew off and Edward saw the bruises on my neck. They have went away now, and luckily, Jacob hasn't given me any new ones. Not that are visible anyway. I have several on my ribs from not having dinner finished on time. I know better than to be late with Jacob's dinner, so it was really my own fault. I also have a large bruise on the inside of my right thigh. Jacob got really intense in bed last night, and I have to suffer for that.

Edward came by the coffee shop the day after he saw my bruise, but I refused to speak to him. I kept telling him that I was fine, but he wouldn't budge. That's when I went to the back office and closed the door in his face. I haven't seen him since then, but I know that he has started his job at the hospital. Working there will take up a lot of his time, so I hope that he will just forget about that bruise, and we can be friends again. Edward was fun to be around and he made me laugh.

The coffee shop was slow all day, so Alice told me to go home and get some sleep. I couldn't sleep last night because I was worried about Jacob waking up again. Alice told me that I looked dead on my feet, so I agreed that I should probably go home before I spilled coffee all over a customer. I went straight to bed when I got home, and I knew that I would be up before Jacob ever got home.

I woke up to a door slamming downstairs. I quickly got out of bed and ran down the stairs. I overslept, and now Jacob will know that I came home from work early. Nothing makes him more mad than when I don't work.

"What the hell are you doing home?" Jacob yelled when he saw me.

"We had a slow day, and closed up early. Nobody was coming in. I haven't been home long," I lied as I looked down at my feet. There's no way he could know how long I've been here.

Jacob walked towards me and grabbed my face to make me look at him, "Don't fucking lie to me. I know that you've been home for hours. I had to drive by for work and saw you coming in the front door."

I felt my heart drop in my chest. He's pissed. He knows that I've been here. My eyes widening as I saw the anger spread over Jacobs face. He slapped me across the face and I fell down immediately. Jacob is so much stronger than I am. I never should have come home. I put my arms over my face, waiting for what Jacob would do next.

I felt his foot connect with my already bruised ribs, and I felt one of them snap. I screamed in pain as Jacob grabbed a fistful of my hair to lift me up. He began yelling at me as I fell back to the floor. The pain in my ribs was too much for me to stand up. I wrapped an arm around my waist as Jacob's foot came at me again. I felt my arm break before I blacked out and prayed that he didn't kill me this time.

XxXxX

I heard beeping and tried to reach out for the alarm clock by the bed, but I couldn't move my arm. My eyes shot open, and I was blinded by fluorescent lights. _Where the hell am I?_

I blinked a few times, and when I opened my eyes again, I realized that I was at the hospital. I have no idea how I got here. My arm was in a cast and there were bandages wrapped around my ribs. _Jacob couldn't have brought me here. He wouldn't be that stupid, would he?_

I looked over to the side and saw my best friend, Rosalie asleep in the chair. I tried to say her name, but I couldn't get any words out. I cleared my throat and realized that it was very dry.

Rose woke up, hearing me clear my throat, and quickly grabbed a glass of water for me. "Oh Bella, honey, how are you feeling?"

The water felt good going down, but it hurt to talk. My ribs hurt when I did anything. "Like hell. How did I get here?" I asked, completely confused.

Rose sighed and sat down in the chair, "I came to your house to see you. I stopped by the coffee shop, but Alice said that you were exhausted and went home." Rosalie began to tear up and wiped at her eyes before he continued, "The door was unlocked so I just went in. Bella. He would've killed you. I hit him over the head with a bat that was by the door and it knocked him out. I called the police and an ambulance for you."

My eyes widened as I realized what she was telling me. "You mean, he's in jail? Jake is in jail?"

"You're going to be okay now, Bella. He can't hurt you anymore." Rose told me as she took my uninjured hand.

I felt the tears running down my face, and Rosalie got up to wipe them away. "You're okay now," she reassured me.

"Can I just be alone for a minute, Rose? This is a lot to take in," I said softly as I closed my eyes.

She left and I thought about what this meant for me. I wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. He can't hurt me. But he's my husband. Shouldn't that mean something? For better or worse…I can't betray those vows. This is just the "worse" for him, and I would be awful to turn my back on him for making a mistake. He wouldn't have killed me, and I know better than coming home early.

"Your friend told me that you're awake. How are you feeling?"

I opened my eyes to see Edward standing in the doorway. Of course he would be the doctor here to take care of me.

"I feel like hell," I said as I looked away.

Edward came over and checked all of my vitals before he brushed a piece of hair out of my face, "I'm so sorry, Bella. It shouldn't have come to this. Rosalie told me what happened."

I felt the tears running down my cheeks, and I know that Edward thought I was stupid for crying over the man that beat me, "He's my husband. Doesn't that mean something? I married him."

Edward sighed and sat down beside me, "Bella, don't do that to yourself. You married someone that betrayed you. He broke the vows, not you. Don't make yourself feel bad when he did this. This isn't your fault."

Edward pleaded with me to not blame myself, but it's hard not to when that is all I've done for most of my marriage to Jacob. "I don't know what to do now," I said as I looked up into Edward's eyes.

He smiled as he watched me, "Focus on getting better. You had a little internal bleeding, but we fixed it and are monitoring it closely. I'll get you some pain meds and that should help you sleep. It's going to all be okay."

I closed my eyes as Edward walked out of the room. I'm going to be okay. I have to be.

XxXxX

After I was released from the hospital, Rosalie informed me that I would be staying at her apartment with her. She didn't want me to go back in the house, and honestly, I'm not sure that I wanted to either. Rose had already packed up all of my clothes and other necessities, and they were all at her house. I still couldn't use my arm, so Alice was running most things in the coffee shop. Rosalie went over and told her what had happened. Rose, Alice, and Edward were the only ones that knew what actually happened to me, besides the cops that is.

Edward made it a habit of calling to see me every day to see how I was doing. Rosalie kept telling me that the guy has a crush, but I can't deal with anything like that now. Rose keeps pressuring me to file for divorce, but I'm not sure if I can handle that. I loved Jake so much. A large part of me just hopes that he can change back into the person I fell in love with.

My phone began to ring, and I checked the caller ID. Edward. I picked it up and smiled, "Hey, Edward."

"Hey, Bella. How are you feeling today?"

"The same as yesterday. My ribs feel a little better, but I'm bored out of my mind. Rose doesn't let me do anything."

"Good. You need to be resting. Do you girls need anything? I could swing by and drop off whatever you need on my way home."

"Thank you, but I think we are good," I told him with a smile. He always tries to bring us stuff, but I would feel bad making him go out of his way just to drop off a few little things.

Edward and I talked for a little while longer about nothing. He told me about his day at the hospital, and some jokes that he heard kids telling. He loves to tell corny little jokes because they always make me laugh.

We hung up the phone a few minutes before Rose returned home from work. She took a few days off to make sure that I was okay, but I finally convinced her to go back. Sitting around the apartment with me all day wasn't helping either of us.

"Honey, I'm home!" Rose shouted as he walked into the apartment.

I laughed and she came over and sat down beside me on the couch. "Bella, I met Mr. Perfect today. He was like 6 foot something and all muscle. I could've just ripped off his shirt in the middle of the supermarket to get a look at those muscles," Rose said with a dreamy look on her face.

"Very classy, Rose. What's his name?" I asked.

"Emmett Cullen. He is a hunk! And he's a personal trainer at the gym! I don't know why I've never seen him before. I'm there all the time."

I busted out laughing and Rose looked at me completely confused. "Emmett is Edward's brother. He just moved here with Edward. That's hilarious."

Rose laughed and shook her head, "They must have some gorgeous parents, or they both got really lucky with the gene pool."

Rosalie and I planned how she would go about running into Emmett until he finally asked her out, and it was going to be my job to find out if Emmett has a serious girlfriend. Around 11, Rose announced that she was exhausted and headed off to bed. I'm glad that she's happy, even though I know that she is still worried about me. But I'll be okay. I just have to learn how to be me.

 **I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review! I love getting to know what you think. As always, I do not own Twilight. Enjoy!**

I woke up screaming. Rosalie came running into my room and pulled me into a tight hug. Once I calmed down and got my breathing under control, Rose got into bed with me and held my hand. This had become our nightly routine. I would have a nightmare about Jacob, and Rose would come to my rescue.

"You awake, Rose?" I whispered quietly.

She gave my hand a squeeze, "Yeah, Bella. You okay now?"

"I'm okay. You can go back to your room. You don't have to stay in here with me. I'm so sorry this keeps happening."

"Isabella, you stop that right now. Don't apologize for being afraid. You are like my sister, and you know that I would do anything for you, silly. Get some sleep. I'm okay."

Before long, I dozed off. The next time I opened my eyes, it was morning and Rosalie was gone. I could smell coffee and bacon coming from the kitchen, and I assumed that Rose was making breakfast. Knowing that it was just me and her, I walked out in my pajamas. They consisted of a tight tank top and short shorts.

I opened my door and walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. As I turned around, I came face to face with Edward Cullen. I froze, realizing that I was standing in front of Edward, very exposed. And with the slight chill of morning air, it was very obvious that I didn't have on a bra. I set down the coffee and quickly ran to my room to change. Embarrassed would definitely be an understatement.

I quickly threw on some real clothes, and came back out of my room to find Rosalie sitting on the counter with a smirk. "I hear you gave Edward a little peep show."

"Shut up, Rose. I didn't know he was here," I mumbled as I picked my cup of coffee back up.

Rosalie laughed and told me that she would see me after work as she walked out the front door. I noticed Edward sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, so I went to join him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here," I mumbled as I sat down beside him.

Edward's face turned bright red, "It's okay, Bella. I didn't exactly mind."

I laughed and nudged his shoulder. Lately, Edward has been a little flirty with me, and a part of me doesn't mind it. Not that I'm ready for a relationship or anything. I still get very jumpy, and Edward is the only guy that I can handle being near. We sat in a comfortable silence, watching TV together as I sipped on my coffee.

XxXxX

There was a knock on the door, and Edward offered to go get it. I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes. I heard Edward open the door right before the gun shot went off. I spun around and saw Jacob standing above Edward, holding a gun in his hand. I screamed and got up to run. "You'll never get away from me, Bells. I'll always be there." I screamed as I felt him grab my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to find Edward's worried green ones staring back at me. "Bella, it's okay. Wake up." He said as he shook my shoulder gently.

I threw my arms around his neck and clung onto him tightly, "He shot you. He isn't going to leave me alone. I'm never going to be free." I stuttered through the tears that began falling from my eyes.

Edward held me against him and kissed my forehead, "Shh, Bella. It's okay, I promise. I'm fine and Jacob is in jail. You're okay."

I refused to let go of Edward; he made me feel safe. Edward suggested that I go lay down and try to get some rest, but I couldn't be left alone. We double checked the door because I was paranoid that maybe we forgot to lock it when Rose left, but it was locked and we were safe. I laid down in my bed, and Edward started to leave. "Please stay," I whispered.

Edward stopped and turned to look at me, "Are you sure you want me to?"

I nodded and patted the bed beside me. I haven't actually slept since I came back to live with Rosalie. Every time I sleep, I have a nightmare featuring Jacob.

Edward kicked off his shoes and got into bed beside me. He put one arm around my shoulders, and I curled up against his side. "You make me feel safe, Edward. I'm sorry if this is weird for you. You can leave when I fall asleep if you want to. I just don't want to be alone."

I felt Edward press his lips against the top of my head and tighten his hold on me, "I'm not going to leave you alone, Bella. I promise that I'll be here."

I smiled and closed my eyes as I drifted off to sleep.

XxXxX

I slowly opened my eyes and felt an arm around my waist. I looked up to find Edward sleeping beside me. I was surprised that he actually stayed, but I guess that he was tired too. Either he or Rose were always here with me, and I know that it has to be exhausting for both of them. I lifted my hand to lightly trace the lines on his face. Edward definitely has the looks, but he also has the personality to go along with it.

I know that I'm not ready for a relationship, but I can feel a draw to Edward that I've never felt before. He just feels right. Maybe it is just my post-sleep brain talking, but I can almost picture him being in my life for a long time.

As my thumb gently moved over his lip, he slowly opened his eyes and kissed my finger. I blushed and pulled my hand back, "I'm sorry. You just look so peaceful when you sleep. You didn't have to stay."

Edward smiled and tightened his arm around me, "There's no place I would rather be, Bella."

I smiled and kissed his shoulder that my head was laying on. "I actually slept without having a nightmare."

I felt Edward's chest vibrate with a small laugh, "You sure did. Guess I'm just your lucky charm."

I smiled and looked up at Edward. He was staring back at me with a gentle look in his eyes. "I guess so. We should probably get up soon. Rosalie will be back before long, and I promised that I would make her something really good for dinner."

"No, a few more minutes," Edward whined as he wrapped both arms tightly around my waist.

I laughed and closed my eyes as I let Edward hold me. He made me feel safe; something that Jacob definitely didn't do. Edward gently kissed the top of my head and lightly traced his fingers along my back and shoulder. I felt myself melt into his touch, and I sighed happily. I could almost forget everything that happened in this moment.

The door slammed open to the apartment and Rosalie announced that she was home. I quickly jumped out of bed, and Edward was right behind me. It wasn't like we did anything wrong, but I know that Rosalie is going to assume things that didn't happen.

We walked out together and Rose shot us a knowing look with a huge smirk on her face. I shook my head at her, and went to the kitchen to start fixing dinner.

"Well, I'm going to head out. I'll see you later," Edward said as he walked out the door. Rosalie and I told him bye, and then she was firing question after question.

I stopped and turned to look at her, "Nothing happened, Rose. I had a bad dream, so I went back to bed to get some rest. I was scared and Edward stayed in there with me. Nothing happened."

"Whatever you say, Bella. You both are pushing down feelings there, and it's going to come out one day."

"No we aren't. We are just friends."

Rose laughed softly and walked over to the couch, "Bella, you might just be friends now, but that boy definitely has feelings for you. You can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you."

I shook my head and continued cooking. Rosalie is just imagining things. Edward is my friend and that's it. I can't handle anything more right now. I'm still not officially divorced.

My heart faltered when I thought about the divorce. I know that I need to do it, but I can't seem to be happy about it. When I married Jacob, I couldn't even imagine a life without him. A part of me just hopes that he will turn into that man again, but I know that I can't take the chance with him. He has hurt me too much.

XxXxX

Rose and I ate dinner together while she talked about her day at work. Her boss is driving her insane, and she hasn't had time to go the gym and flirt with Emmett. I laughed when she talked about him because she doesn't even know the guy, but she has already decided that she wants him.

We went to bed early tonight because we were both exhausted. Waking up every night really begins to take a lot of a person, and it would probably happen again tonight. I got into bed and pulled the covers close to me. Edward's smell was on my sheets, and I couldn't deny that it was a very good smell.

My phone began to vibrate on the bedside table, and I picked it up to see Edward's name on the screen.

"Hey, Edward."

 _Hey, Bella. I hope I wasn't bothering you._

"Not at all. I actually just got in bed. What's up?"

 _Oh, okay. Well I won't keep you long then. I just wanted to wish you sweet dreams tonight. And please don't be afraid to call if you ever need me. I'm always going to be here for you._

"Thank you, Edward. It means a lot." We didn't talk much longer, and I had a huge smile on my face when we hung up. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting off to sleep. It was the first night since Jacob attacked me that I didn't wake up from a nightmare.

 **Please review and let me know what you think! I hope that you guys enjoyed it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I have been super busy and unable to update much. Sorry for the wait! I also am Beta reading for a couple of great people, and I don't want their stories to be put on too much of a hold. Anyway, this chapter is up now, and I hope you enjoy it! As always, I do not own Twilight.**

"Bella, you are not going to believe what happened!" Rosalie exclaimed as she walked into the apartment.

I laughed and got up from the couch to greet her. I finally started back to work a few days ago, but I still got home before Rose every day. "What happened?" I asked as I met her in the kitchen.

"Emmett asked me on a date!"

"No way! Tell me exactly what happened," I told her, completely surprised. I couldn't believe she actually talked to him.

Rosalie went over and sat on the couch before she began talking. "So I went by the gym after work, like I always do. This time, he didn't have anyone that he was working with, so he was just circulating the floor to help everyone. Anyway, he came over to talk to me, and it ended with him asking me out for Friday night!"

"That is great, Rose! Do you know where he's taking you?"

Rosalie's face dropped for a moment, "Damn, I forgot to ask. Talk to Edward later and see if he knows anything about it."

"I'm not going to pry information about your date from Edward," I told her with a laugh.

"Bella, please. I won't know what to wear if I don't know where we're going!" Rose pleaded as she watched me closely. "It's the least my best friend could do for me since I know you won't be helping me actually get ready."

I laughed and shoved her shoulder, "Fine, whatever. I'll ask him. But I'm not going to push it. If he says he doesn't know, that's it."

Rosalie grabbed me into a hug and then ran to her room, "I love you, Bella! Now I'm going to take a shower! Gyms make people smell awful."

I grabbed my phone after Rosalie left to call Edward. Now is as good of a time as any. He picked up on the second ring, and I smiled, "Hey, Edward. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, Bella. What's up?"

"Umm…Rosalie actually just got back from the gym, and mentioned that her and Emmett are going on a date Friday night. Have you heard anything about it?" I asked him shyly.

"Yeah, Emmett is pretty psyched I think," Edward told me with a small laugh.

"He didn't mention where he was taking her did he? Rose didn't ask, and she is freaking out about what she needs to wear."

"He said something about that nice Italian restaurant down the street. And a movie or play or something."

"Okay, thanks! Now she won't have a meltdown over what outfit to wear," I told Edward with a laugh. Rosalie takes her clothing very seriously.

"So, umm…what are you going to be doing Friday night since Rosalie will be out?"

"I don't know really. I will probably just hang out here at the apartment. I don't really like being out after dark, you know," I said quietly. I am doing a lot better with being alone in the apartment, but being outside at night still makes me really anxious.

"Would you like some company? I'm on call for the hospital, but I can hang out with you if I don't get called in."

I smiled, "Sure. We can watch some movies or something."

Edward and I talked for a few more minutes before hanging up so he could get back to work. At least now I won't be completely alone Friday night.

XxXxX

By the time Friday night rolled around, Rosalie was a bundle of nerves. She got off work early because she had no idea what to wear. Our apartment looked like a tornado went through it by the time that I got home from work; clothes were all over the living room, and I even found a pair of her shoes in the kitchen.

"Rosalie, are you alive? Or did someone set a bomb off in the apartment while I was at work?" I asked with a laugh.

Rosalie's head peeked out from her bedroom, and she smiled, "Help me, Bella?"

I walked into Rosalie's room and sat down on her bed, "Okay, what do you need help with?"

"I can't decide which dress to wear? Should I go with the casual one or the one that's a little dressier?"

Rosalie held two dresses up in front of her. The first was a red halter dress that hit right above the knee. There were some ruffles at the top, and she always matched it with a brown belt to bring it in at the waist. The second was a little black dress, and a lot more form-fitting. It had one thick strap that went over her right shoulder, it stopped mid-thigh. It definitely hugged all of her curves.

"They are both great. I think you could pull off the black one tonight because that Italian place he's taking you to is really nice. And Edward did find out that you're going to see a play instead of a movie, so that calls for something a little dressier anyway," I told her after thinking about both dresses.

Rosalie smiled and winked as she put on the black dress, "Plus, he won't be able to keep his hands off me if I wear this one."

I laughed as Rosalie moved on to fixing her hair, "What are you going to do with your hair?"

"Umm…I don't really know. What do you think about doing a side ponytail? I could braid it around the side, and then wrap it to keep it up?" Rosalie asked as she played with her hair in the middle.

"I think that's good. Leave a piece or two down on the other side though. It always looks better when you do that."

Rosalie smiled, "Thanks, Bella. So what are you and Edward going to do tonight?"

"Probably just watch some movies and order in food a little later. Nothing special," I shrugged.

"Well I shouldn't be out too late tonight. I know you mentioned Edward being on call, so if he gets called in and you get spooked, please call me. I promise that I won't mind at all."

"I'll be fine, Rosalie. If Edward has to leave, I'll just lock up and watch some TV or read a book. I'll be fine," I told her with a smile. The truth was, I would be scared to see Edward leave, but I refuse to mess up her date with Emmett. She has been so excited about going out with him tonight, and I'll be okay. I can survive by myself for a couple hours if I need to.

Rosalie and I walked into the living room right as the doorbell rang, and Rose went to answer it. Edward and Emmett were both standing on the other side of the door. Edward came into the apartment, and Rosalie left after telling me bye.

Edward locked the door behind them, and turned around with three different movies in his hands.

"Let our night of movies begin!"

Of course the first one he chose was some action movie that didn't seem to have any plot. I was bored before it was even half way over, and I tried very hard to fight off sleep. Edward had leaned back against the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table, and my head was laid in his lap. Edward's fingers were lightly running through my hair, which wasn't helping in my struggle to stay awake.

XxXxX

"Are you awake, Bella?" Edward whispered.

I mumbled something and sat up, looking at the TV. The credits were rolling, and I didn't remember how the movie ended. "Crap, I fell asleep, didn't I?" I asked, looking at Edward.

He laughed and nodded to confirm my suspicions.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was just tired from working all day," I apologized.

Edward smiled, "It's no big deal, Bella. You're cute when you sleep, anyway."

I blushed and looked away from Edward, "Yeah, right. I'm surprised I didn't drool on you or something."

Edward smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, "Bella, you don't see how beautiful and strong you really are."

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Edward's. His green eyes completely captivated me, and I could feel his hand still gently laying against my cheek. I glanced down to his lips for a moment and thought about what they would feel like on mine. I don't even know if I would be able to handle someone else touching me after Jacob hurt me so badly, but I know that I can trust Edward. He slowly leaned towards me, and I felt my eyes close on their own, waiting for his lips to touch mine.

We both jumped back when his phone began to ring. Edward muttered under his breath and pulled his phone out, "I'm sorry, Bella. I have to take it; it's the hospital."

I nodded and walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Before now, I haven't really thought about Edward that way. I know that I like spending time with him and he makes me feel safe, but I haven't thought about kissing him. What surprised me most, was that I didn't mind having those thoughts about Edward.

Edward hung up the phone and walked over to me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I have to go. There was a car accident, and they need me to come in," he apologized.

"It's fine. Is everyone going to be okay?" I asked.

Edward smiled, "Nobody is too badly hurt. They just need an extra hand for a little while. Are you going to be okay here?"

"Of course. Yeah. I'll be okay," I assured him with a small smile.

Edward hugged me and told me goodbye right before he left. I locked the door as soon as he left and went back to the kitchen. A couple seconds later, there was a knock on the door, and I answered it without even thinking. I assumed that Edward left something and had just turned around to come back and get it.

I opened the door and my whole body immediately froze. _Jacob._

"Hey, Bells. Missed me?"

 **Thanks for reading! Please review! And go check out my other stories, too.**

 **I also want to give a shoutout to an amazing girl that I am beta reading for that is writing a Twilight fanfic! Go check out BlackRabbit96 for a great fanfic about Jacob Black and an OC. It is titled** _ **I Can See You?**_


	7. Author Note

I would like to apologize for being gone for so long. A lot things have come up in my life, and I just haven't had any time to write. I sadly, have to say that I also lost any urge that I had to continue this story. I would like to offer for someone to take over this story. That being said, I want the story to go to someone that can keep it going and do something great with it.

For a month, I would like to hear from anyone that wants to take over this story. If you want to keep it going, and make it yours, please let me know where you're thinking of taking it. At the end of the month, I'll gladly release the story to be continued by anyone that wants it.


	8. Author Note 2

I am pleased to announce that someone is taking over Finding Freedom that played a large role in helping me with the ideas during writing. CCullen1978 has decided that she would like to continue Finding Freedom, so I would like to send everyone her way that has been keeping up with the story.


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